Hero: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (20 page)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Lottie

My head throbbed as I blearily opened my eyes to look around.

The groan that tried to roll out of me was muffled by the cloth cutting across my mouth and as alarm shot through my awareness, my attempt to jump to my feet ended up as a useless scramble of restrained limbs.

Recollection hit me slower than it should, and I closed my eyes again as I pictured the way my father had charged forward awkwardly on that prosthetic leg - I’d seen him go down, but nothing more as I was grabbed and everything faded to the sight of Alfonso’s leering face.

I shuddered at the memory and tried not to wonder what had happened back home as I looked around, attempting to get my focus back. Everything felt too hazy, and the fear and adrenaline that spiked through me had to fight hard to clear it.

Heart beating wildly, I tested my movement. While my arms were stiffly bound behind me and my ankles together, apart from that I could still move. With effort I levered myself up from the awkward crouched position they’d left me in and tried to get past the cloud of fear and uncertainty to think.

I was alone in a dimly lit room, which both surprised and disappointed me. Based on what I knew of their plans, I would have expected to be with…others. And the one small hope that I might get to see Leah disappeared.

Oh god…first Leah, then my parents, and now I’m trapped here…what have I done?!

Panic threatened to envelop me, but I refused to let it, taking deep breaths through the makeshift gag and trying to work out what I was going to do. My whole body was aching, but sharp adrenaline kept me up and determined.

Jason was coming here. I was pretty sure of that. And they were going to take down this whole operation. So it would be okay. I just needed to remember that, and make sure I was alright until then.

And if you’re not with the rest of them for a reason…?

I shuddered again at the thought of Alfonso’s face, at the idea that maybe this was something else entirely - but I couldn’t believe they’d distract themselves from everything else they had planned just to settle whatever vendetta Jorge might have…

Fuck.

I cut the morbid thoughts. Jason would come. Whatever it took, he’d come for me.

And the more you can do to help, the better.

With effort, I started hobbling to the edges of the room to see whether I could hear anything. There were two doors, but one looked half destroyed in its hinges and was clearly supported from the opposite side, so I guessed it was barred - the other was normal enough, but even if it hadn’t been impossible with my hands like this, I would have been wary trying it. If I wasn’t attracting attention at the moment, maybe that was better.

Hearing a couple of voices in the distance gave me a little confidence that my original assumptions about where I was were correct, but as they started getting nearer my nervousness increased. I tried to shift back towards the center of the room just in case they entered, not wanting to be caught listening at the door. My shuffling movement didn’t do much though and I hated how completely helpless I felt as the door opened before I could get far from the wall.

Refusing to give into the fear threatening to cripple me, I turned defiantly to face the man who entered. As he shut the door behind him, he struck me as oddly familiar. One of Jorge’s guys then. I struggled to remember his name as he glanced at me with a strange look in his eyes.

“Fffrankhey”

I spoke it as it came to me, forgetting about the gag that muffled and garbled it. The brief flash of surprise there gratified me, even as I felt ready to burst from the tension.

“Lottie.”

He watched me for a moment, looking over my binds and whatever bruised and battered state I must be in, then he sighed deeply and shook his head. Coming forward, he reached up to the gag, then hesitated.

“If I remove this, don’t scream, okay?”

I had no idea what he was doing, but I wanted that thing off. My mouth was painfully dry. I met his eyes and nodded.

He tugged it loose at the back and dropped it down to my neck, letting me take a deep breath and work my tongue back around my mouth. Shaking his head, he exhaled sharply.

“Fuck, Lottie, are you okay?”

I blinked at him, feeling a little absurd.

“Sorry, stupid question.”

I grunted in slight amusement, and let the small smile onto my face. Maybe a stupid question, but with it I had sudden hope flaring in my chest.

I had no idea whether to wait him out or prompt him, but a moment later he ran a hand over his close-cropped hair and met my eyes. He was one of the younger guys in Jorge’s crew, about my age, and what I remembered most about him was his ever-present ‘tough guy’ attitude. There was no evidence of that now.

“I shouldn’t be here. But…fuck it, this isn’t right. I couldn’t just listen to the stuff they were going to do to you and…you’ve never done anything but help. When Jarod and I got in that pissing contest, you fixed me right up. And then him. And then the same when we did it all over again. No questions or…or lectures…you just wanted to help. Everybody. Dumb as fuck, it was. But dumb or not, you don’t deserve…this.”

It came out in spurts, but I was stunned to hear it. I barely remembered the stuff he was talking about. I knew it had happened, sure, but there had been so many of them…an endless amount of violence and hurt and anger and pain. Enough to make me wonder at times whether anything I did made a difference. With one bumbling explanation, Frankie had just let me know it did. I could have danced with the pure satisfaction and joy that brought me, if I hadn’t been so preoccupied.

I would have stepped forward and hugged him if I’d been at all able. Instead, I just grinned.

“Thank you, Frankie. Really, I mean it.”

He shrugged awkwardly.

“Do you…what’s the plan?”

Please let him have thought this through a little.

He glanced around, as if afraid someone might overhear him here, and looked towards the door again.

“It’s not just me, you know. A lot of us remembered you. Didn’t think it was right. And…more than that. We didn’t fall in with Jorge for this shit, you know? I liked it when we were on the 55th - we ruled that street, right? Ain’t no one denied us nothing there. But this…this is bad shit. I look at those girls and I see…well, every girl I ever kinda liked, right? And they don’t deserve that no more than you. I never signed on to destroy anyone. And…there’s a whole lot of us that felt the same way, when we found out.”

I held my breath as I listened - this was even better than I could have hoped. It was going to be alright. Thank god, it would work out. I waited expectantly, not wanting to interrupt him but anxious that someone else might burst in, in the way that only someone with a fragile hope to guard could be.

“So - so I think we can get you out. This room’s a good’un - just down the corridor from a nice back way out. The guys in the hall know what we’re doing. I can get you out of here. The rest—fuck, I’m sorry, but I ain’t dying for them.”

Making an instant decision, I nodded once, hoping I wasn’t risking too much.

“They’ll be alright. I know someone…this deal tonight isn’t going to happen.”

He brightened at that, surprise crossing his face.

“Really?”

“Yes - I can’t say much, but it’s okay.”

Hell, I didn’t even know more.

“Okay, then lets—”

“Wait. One thing - my sister Leah. She was taken too. I’m not leaving here without her.”

He tensed, but I wasn’t going to let this go. I had to get Leah out while I had a chance. Who the hell knew what would happen later. I trusted Jason, but there was too much at risk and…I couldn’t leave without her.

“She’s my height, dark brown hair, blue eyes. Younger than me, slim build. Have you seen anyone like that? Please, Frankie. She’s my little sister.”

He chewed the side of his mouth for a moment before answering, obviously uneasy.

“No, sorry. Don’t remember anyone like that - but I wasn’t really involved.”

My heart sunk.

“I have to find her.”

It was obvious he didn’t like it, but after a couple of moments he relented.

“We can ask Tom. He’s outside, and he said he’d help me earlier. But Lottie—”

I didn’t want to hear it. I couldn’t face abandoning her. Some part of me tried to reason that Jason would come, that I’d agreed not to do anything reckless. But I was already in the middle of the damn abyss - if I left here alone, I’d never be able to look myself in the eye again.

“Can you help me with these?”

I tugged at the bonds, the discomfort starting to get the better of me as he hesitated again.

C’mon, let’s go.

“We thought maybe…it would be better for you to look restrained. In case anyone saw us.”

Ahh damn it.

He had a point. Which didn’t make it any better. Thinking fast, I nodded.

“Okay, but I can barely walk like this - we’ll get nowhere fast. Can you re-do my wrists to be around the front, and make both wrists and ankles loose? So they look like I’m bound, but if something happens, I can run?”

I needed to be able to run. I couldn’t cope with the helpless creeping feeling that was trying to envelope me. After a moment, he gave a slight smile and nodded.

“’Course. That makes sense.”

He had them shifted in a few moments, giving me a brief chance to stretch first, and I winced from the sharp pain of cramped muscles. They were much more comfortable when he was done and I tested my movement as we started towards the door.

“Hey…”

I caught Frankie’s attention quickly before we left, shooting him a grateful look.

“Thank you, Frankie.”

He nodded again and opened the door, glancing out before leading me through, giving me the impression he didn’t want to talk about it. I had to tell him though. The fatalistic part of me added
just in case -
but I was feeling more optimistic than I had since Jason had left. However bad it was, I was
here
and had a chance to get Leah back.

Tom was waiting down the end of the corridor, and his relief at seeing us was almost palpable.

“God, Frankie - you took forever. I was seriously worried someone was gonna come by—”

Reminded again of the time, I interrupted.

“Tom. Thank you for this - I can’t say how grateful I am. But I have to find my sister. Leah. Same build and height as me, dark brown hair, blue eyes - younger. Please tell me you’ve seen someone like that.”

Tom’s eyes flicked to Frankie, then hesitantly back to me.

“Lottie, we can’t—”

“I
have
to. Do you know where she is?”

Cursing, he shifted slightly, obviously thinking.

“Younger? Maybe. Is she…ah, do you know - is she a virgin?”

My stomach flipped at the question - and what it might mean.

“Umm…yes, I think so.”

His eyes darted away from mine.

“Then, yes, I might do. They were keeping a girl like that separate - same as you - but in one of the rooms further on. Down that way.”

He nodded the way we’d just come and I took a deep breath.

Thank god.

By herself, and we knew the direction. Frankie spoke as relief swept through me.

“Lottie, I don’t think—Larry’s down there, and I don’t know that we can trust him. He…agreed with us, before, but he wouldn’t help. He’s terrified of Jorge.”

I rounded on him.

“We have to, Frankie. Or I have to. You guys have got me this far, I won’t ask you to—”

“Oh fuck it, Lottie. Fine. At least she’s alone. Okay, let’s go quickly. Maybe I can convince him.”

After all his resistance, seeing the floodgates open to quick action was a relief. I didn’t want to go alone, but I hadn’t been prepared to stand around arguing about it either.

Tom nodded at us, speaking up as we turned to go.

“I’ll stay here - see whether I can keep the route out open.”

I nodded gratefully at Tom as we hurried down the corridor. I tried to listen out, but beyond the sound of my own heartbeat I had no idea whether anyone might be approaching. I trusted Frankie’s confidence though, and we turned down another corridor relatively quickly.

The man there glanced up as he noticed our movement, then his eyes widened and anger crossed his face. He stepped forward and glared at Frankie as he hissed in a semi-quiet whisper.

“Fuck you, Frankie. I told you not to involve me in this madness. Now look what the hell you’ve—”

“Cut it out, Larry. She’s looking for her sister, Leah. The-the virgin. Tom said she’s up ahead—”

“I’m
not
fucking helping you. I shouldn’t even be seeing this.”

“C’mon Larry. You really want to see that girl destroyed like this? I know you hate it—”

“Do you have any idea what Jorge would do to me?
To you?!
You’re a fucking idiot—”